The Very Early & Dramatic Effects of our 2018 Life Detox.

What we thought was going to be a really hard
change to make, what we thought was going to be
a month of iron will-power and sacrifice is turning
into one of the most positive months of
our lives. The decisions we are making are so
flipping obvious now we're actually living them.

We're now almost three weeks into our new family approach to living - call it a kind of detox if you want to be all hip and trendy. It's hard changing a lifetime of behaviours. It's hard breaking habits, and that's why having the eye on the prize at all times is important.

It's about rewards and it's about ambitions; it's also about acknowledging that the actions you took before had consequences - I guess it's about adulting LOL.

So where are we as a family 3 weeks on.

* Skin: 
okay, so after a very visible reaction to the change in our diet and most importantly alcohol reduction by 75-80% less alcohol, my skin has literally transformed. 3 weeks on and I'm positively glowing, which at 37 is a nice perk. My skin feels much more velvety, like the cover of a good book, the pores have reduced and it's definitely in better condition, I now just need the tiniest dab of moisturiser to look like I've a full face of makeup.

After last weeks spot outbreak taking me back to teenage angst, this is a welcome relief. I had four great big zits (there's seriously no other word for them) across my neck / jawline - something I have never had before. Not only were they painful, but they we a weird distraction. This also happened across my shoulders. Obviously in the age of google, I looked this up in terms of alcohol reduction and yep, there, clear as day, this was my body detoxing. It was that visible. It was that causal. That was the crap pushing out of my body.

* Energy & Mental Health: 
You really aren't going to like this but yes, I have WAAAAAY more energy. Eating lighter, smaller and better balanced portion sizes before bed, and not drinking half a bottle of wine +  means I'm getting far better sleep quality. I've not had an attack of insomnia in almost twenty nights. My temperature fluctuations at night are settling down.

I'm finding the morning and the school run a LOT less of a struggle, to the point I'm almost sociable when in the first hour I wake up (and trust me, my family have learned over the years to let a sleeping bear lie when it comes to mum and bed)

I am SOOOO much more productive as a result.

The house is more organised, better kept. I've tackled jobs that seemed sometimes overwhelming and all of this is leading to a much better state of mental health and reduced stress responses. Our evenings have suddenly become viable time to do something other than sit on the sofa and drink wine. We're better as a couple at tidying before bed and this feels like some of the mum working from home burden is being considerably lifted.

As a result of the house being better organised and more efficient, I'm getting more time to actually do my work. I could never settle to write in a messy house and that ate into my time and motivation.

*Weight Loss: 
I'm going to reiterate that this is not a weight loss project, but it is a welcome side effect and upholds my belief that if you get life in the right balance, then weight is naturally maintained at a healthy level.

I'm guessing there are two factors that are causing my rings to finally spin around and my watch to slink up and down, and my jeans to need pulling up (I haven't weighed myself as I don't want that to become a focus and then I lose track of the real objective)

1)  the thousands of less calories we are not consuming through alcohol / wine -- but this is important; we're not replacing our evening drinking with replacements; mostly because all of those we've tried are crap. We've gone to drinking a cup of tea / green or black and that being enough. Dinner is Cranberry and tonic, a single glass, which is the only bearable soft drink.

2) generally more energy meaning that the metabolism is kicking in and burning off calories.

*Money:
We have saved hundreds of pounds in the first three weeks, which after Christmas has knocked some of the deficit that Christmas brings about. We are well on target to meet our 10k savings this year.

*Children & Values: 
Our children lead a very privileged life, I'm not going to deny it. Our philosophy has always been that as long as they are kind, compassionate, empathetic and not spoilt dicks, then they could pretty much have what they wanted when it came to books, stationary, magazines, day trips, fossils, fillet steak and lobster (trust me, our eldest is one of those) etc etc -

We reflected that although our kids seriously rock - and I mean they do. They care deeply about the planet and the vulnerable of the world (almost to the point it weighs too heavy on our 10 year old empath's mind) we also had to acknowledge that our kids were losing sight of the value of money.

International travel, tasting menus, patisseries from the Savoy, theatre trips etc were all becoming part of their 'norm' which is kind of what we wanted, but at the same time, there has to be a true appreciation of how many hours of the day job goes into paying a restaurant bill of a few hundred pounds, of how many books sold it takes to upgrade to business class on the plane - and how CHOICES have to be made to spread money out as best we can to maximise the experiences we have, pay the bills without worry, and to stash away for the future.

Never is this more apparent than in the super market and the 'Can we get' mantra that seems to pour out of a lot of children's mouths. The solution to this has been the lists, which also have the pre-checked prices next to items. The power  of being able to say 'It's not on the list' was immense, it was like Wonder Woman's arm shield.

I must have said 'It's not on the list' about 20 times on our last supermarket trip - and do you know what, there wasn't a SINGLE challenge about that. Not a single comeback, just a sort of huffy acceptance - and you should have seen their face when I said they could get an 80p treat of creme caramel pots that wasn't on the list. I don't think I've seen such appreciation for anything from either of them in a long time.

*Planet & waste
I can sense that previous habits are being broken and new ones are being established. The food waste bin was full this week and although we didn't quite make our waste target of 1 black bag last week, we have two days to go and we have only filled one black bag of rubbish in our kitchen. This is an insane difference. We were usually around 4 black bin bags and two recycling boxes a week.

This week we are looking at 4 recycling boxes + a full food recycling bin and just one black bag of landfill rubbish.

Two huge cotton shoppers were filled with veg from the green grocers, significantly reducing the amount of packaging we normally have from vegetables from the supermarket.

We had begun to make the change to cotton bags about 3 years ago but have been a bit haphazard, often forgetting them. But we have used no plastic carrier bags in 2 weeks - that's about 6 less plastic carrier bags floating around the ocean, landfill. I've got into the habit of a foldaway in my pocket and visiting the supermarket only once or getting home delivery has made a big difference.

There have been no straws or coffee cups in three weeks either. It's the small things that add up. I think that that action alone has reduced our plastic / cup consumption by one standard carrier bag full of waste - over a year, that's significant.

It's three weeks in, not long enough to become habit changing / breaking behaviour yet. But let's put it this way, Feb is coming and Dry January is becoming just Dry and the things we are putting in place are becoming sustainable and part of our routine.


Here's to better health, better bank balances and a better planet.

Hot Veggie Burritos

Saturday night is a chance for us to properly veg out (in all ways). It's sofa and t.v dinner and ridiculously light entertainment t.v. But it's great to do that once a week when the rest of the week is so much more structured.

A super economical vegetarian meal, just
perfect for a t.v dinner. 

This week, I decided to cook something spicy and easy that would be perfect for a sofa dinner, and that we could drink alongside our Budweiser Prohibition beer (more on that later.)

We wanted a veggie option being that is part of our 2018 resolution and the idea of Mexican child bean burritos just seemed to hit all the sweet spots. Spicy, cheesy, fun food.

This is great for feeding a crowd on a budget, too. There's something quite joyful about this dish, which maybe comes from the spices.

LEVEL: EASY/MEDIUM
COST: $
VEGETARIAN
TIME: About 1 hour cooking and half an hour prepping.

INGREDIENTS: (serves 4 at two burritos each)
1 medium onion
1 tin of mixed beans
1 tin of kidney beans
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp of oregano
1 tbsp mixed dried herbs.
2tbsp of hot smoked paprika (adjust to preference)
1 tbsp of cayenne (adjust to preference)
1 dried red chilli (omit for preference)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes, blended to a puree
Two handfuls of grated cheese
Fresh red chilli
Sour cream
8 soft tortilla breads

We served ours with sweet potato wedges, just wedged, oiled and baked in the oven with a dash of hot smoked paprika.

AS there was just the two of us, I split the bean mix and froze the other half portion, making it a super time economical meal.


METHOD:

• Sweat off onion in heavy based casserole dish. 
• Add in the oregano, paprika and cayenne and stir until well mixed. 
• Add the tinned beans and stir. 
• Add the tinned tomato puree
• a half pint of veggie stock 
• Cook down until most of the liquid has gone and the bean chilli is looking thick and good for filling approx 30-40 minutes on a medium to low heat. (Stir it occasionally as not to catch on the bottom) 
• Leave to cool a little and then in an oven proof dish, fill the tortillas down the middle, roll them into a wrap and flip onto the ovenproof dish so that the join is underneath. 
• Sprinkle with cheese and fresh chilli rings. 
• Return to oven for about 15-20 minutes until hot and the cheese has melted and started to brown. 

NOTES: We served it with Budweiser prohibition larger /beer - which I'm afraid to say, I took one mouthful and rejected the rest. It put me in mind of old fashioned toilet water. Was far too perfumed and flowery for my taste. Will not be buying again.

CHUNKY BEANY BIG SOUP

This week's menu plans are a little all over the place but we're still on track if not a little re-ordered and adapted. Tonight was meant to be Vegetable Green Thai Curry but Jonathan is at the dentist having work done so asked if we could have something a little softer and easier to eat.

Being as I hadn't made the Borlotti Bean soup for lunches (as I've been under a crazy writing deadline and haven't stopped for lunch) I decided to make it tonight for our supper.

The girls had leftovers, being that we unexpectedly had them. One had the courgette penne and the other had the Italian Cottage pie from yesterday - which is where your stock of tupperwear comes in really handy.

LEVEL: EASY
COST: £ (approx £3.50)
VEGETARIAN & VEGAN
TIME: 20 Mins.

INGREDIENTS: Serves 6.
Olive Oil
1 medium onion
Half a courgette grated
2 x garlic cloves
1 x Tinned tomatoes
1 x tin of Borlotti Beans
1 x tin of Kidney Beans
1 small red chilli
2 x vegetable stock cubes
Blanched finely cut Kale or dark green cabbage.
tbsp Paprika
tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper to Season
OPTIONAL: Parmesan cheese to garnish

METHOD:

• Sweat the onions and garlic off, add the courgette. 
• Add the tinned tomatoes and fill the tin 3 x with hot water, stirring in the stock cubes. 
• Add the Borlotti Beans, the Kidney beans and 1/4 -1/2 of a red chilli thinly sliced. 
• Cook for around 15-20 minutes until all softened down and thickened a little. 
• Using a hand blender, pulse the mixture down so that it breaks the beans down a little but keeps some of the texture (you don't want it smooth) 
• Add Paprika and Cayenne and cook for a further 5 minutes (tasting and adding more heat to suit your palate.) 
• Add 3 handfuls of blanched green Kale / collards / spring cabbage.
• Serve with a generous handful of grated parmesan (unless Vegan) 

This is a soup that is even better if it's left to sit for a few hours / overnight to really secure the flavours. 

BIG ITALIAN COTTAGE PIE

This recipe has arisen because originally on the weekly plan it was meant to be lasagna, however having had pasta the night before, and not being great on too much pasta, I made the snap decision to shake it up a little bit - and I'm so glad I did because my youngest, who is a very selective eater, sat and polished off a full portion and verbalised how much she was enjoying her dinner (not something she does very often) 

In order to stuff in some extra vitamins and goodness, and with the added effect of bulking it out too, I added a bowl of grated veg which cooks down, deepening flavour and adding to that 5 a day goal. 

This dish is an absolute winner for several reasons. 1) It's super economical (6 portions for around £5 less than £1 a portion), 2) It's a crowd-pleaser 3) It's a well balanced (it has hidden veg) and 4) It's super low effort.  

I served it with dark chopped kale because I had half a bunch left over from Sunday lunch and because my children love the stuff, especially when it's been buttered and sprinkled with a little salt. 

LEVEL: EASY

COST: £

MEAT

TIME: 15-20min PREP and 1.5hours cooking

INGREDIENTS: (MAKES 6 PORTIONS)

400g Lean Beef minced meat

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1 chicken stock cube / gel

1 tin of tomatoes

2 tsp of tomato puree

3 finely chopped sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 carrot

1 courgette

6-7 medium mashing potatoes

Butter

2 tbsp of milk

2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese

Optionals: I added a 1/4 bottle of old left over red wine being it was in the kitchen and if you've got a little spare budget, red wine is always a nice edition to this dish. I also added a spoonful of pesto from the jar in the fridge. (It keeps for two weeks and is really good to always have one in the fridge as a spoonful here and there really jazzes up dishes)

METHOD: 

• Grate your carrot and courgette into a bowl 
• finely chop your garlic and onion and fry off in the bottom of a heavy casserole pot
• add your minced meat and fry until it has taken some colour.
• Add the bowl of grated vegetables and finely chopped rosemary and cook down
• Add the tin of tomatoes and about half a pint of chicken stock. 
• Leave to simmer on the stove top for about 30-40 minutes until it has cooked right down and the oil is starting to split. It should have taken on a deep red colour and look rich and thick by this point. 
• Set aside and leave to cool and firm up slightly 
• Peel and cut your potatoes and place in a boiling pan until soft. Remove, Strain, return to pan and blast any remaining water off. Add butter, salt, pepper and a tiny splash of milk then mash until fluffy. 
• Spoon over the meat mix and fork until covered. Sprinkle with the cheese and then return to oven to cook for about 20 minutes 

NOTES: If like me, you tend to prep several hours or a day ahead, then it will need about 40-45 minutes to be piping hot. It's a great dish to make on a Sunday whilst cooking your roast, and then set it aside. If there's just the two of you, it can be boxed up and frozen and that's three lots of dinner all ready to go when it's needed. 

Grown Up Dry January Drinks.

Who else here is doing Dry January? I'm going to fess up, as much as we love good food, we love good wine and like many folks we have slipped into a happy habit of drinking wine every evening with our meal.

What's that quote so often chalk painted on gastro-pub walls, "A day without wine is like a day without sunshine"? Well, that's kind of been our mantra for the last 15 years, but as we get older we're coming to the conclusion that too much sunshine is bad for you for several reasons.

The main reason we have drank wine with our food everyday is because the alternatives are terrible and by terrible I mean SWEET. For me, not only do sweet soft drinks ruin a meal (we won't even let our children have fruit juice on the table for fear it kills their palate) but it makes me feel about 5 years old.

I don't have a massively sweet tooth either, so the sweet drinks are even sweeter. However, in the spirit of 'no excuses', we have decided to embrace (almost) Dry January.

Knowing us, I knew that to say absolutely no alcohol would be like enforcing a punishment rather than us making a conscientious lifestyle change. So we have come to the following compromise. We are drinking wine / alcohol on one night a week only. We've menu planned for a Friday, except for when we are going away for a weekend and we've switched to Saturday.

By allowing ourselves this one treat day a week, I honestly believe that we will work our new approach well into the New Year, maybe even make it through the whole year. As we know, denied pleasure is always the most tempting and so knowing our reward is coming in just a couple of days, really makes the decision the other days a perfectly manageable thing.

And at an average daily spend of £7 a day on a bottle of wine, 6 days of alcohol free is a saving of £42 a week and £168 a month. Even with replacements being budgeted for, that's a at least a saving of £130 a month.  (£1560 a year)

Now to the drinks. Having done some reading around before taking on this challenge we have had a very successful first week and a half mainly due to the following life-savers...


***

ALCOHOL FREE BEER:
Our preference is Budweiser Prohibition Brew.

So it doesn't do one of the main advantages of Dry January in that it still has a whack load of calories, but it is a perfect cheat treat for meals that demand a little drier / more bitter kind of accompaniment. We have this scheduled in to accompany the spicy bean burritos this Saturday, and it will work with the green curry next week.


ALCOHOL FREE GIN:
Our preference is Seedslip (Spice)

Yes, you did read that right. Some genius has actually come up with something that resembles gin closely enough that you really can feel like you've discovered a secret elixir. It's a little pricey at around £26 a bottle (currently on offer in TESCO for £20) but it's worth it, and still much cheaper than the wine habit.

Made up with a good tonic water, a slice of lime, a circle of cucumber and a sprig of thyme, you honestly can't fault it for giving you all the feels of a G&T. I cheekily served this up to my mother with dinner on Monday to see what she thought, and as a blind tasting, she didn't notice the difference.

Looking forward to using this in cocktails to see how it changes the balance of Cranberry and elderflower mixes.


ALCOHOL FREE WINE:
This is a complicated one. As wine lovers who really appreciate good wine and have always invested in the best we can afford, and having a husband who has a real knowledge of wine, this is a bit of a scary landscape;  our head is still working around the word 'wine' -- however, in the spirit of it all, we purchased a bottle of Esiberg Sauvignon, from TESCO currently on offer for £2.80with the idea of making spritzers.

On its own, it is far too sweet. However mixed with soda water and garnished with a couple of slices of lime and some ice-cubes, it became a perfectly palatable and well balanced grown up 'juice' to accompany our courgette pasta last night - the use of a wine glass helped the illusion and maintained standards.

I think that's the way to approach 'Alcohol free wine' - to not think of it is as the same beast as 'wine' but to think of it being a base or a mixer to add a slightly more complex layer to the usual soft options.

VIRGIN MOJITO'S
This is a fabulous alternative because there really is very little difference between the 'dirty' mojito and the virgin. Made in the same way but without the generous glug of Bacardi, this is a great social option and perfect to go with spicy dishes such as Chili con-carne and curry.

THE OLD (NOT SO) FAVOURITES:

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL:
There are of course the go to non-alcoholic soft drinks such as Elderflower cordial / presse, but I can tell you, after two pregnancies, Elderflower has become a real thorn in my side - okay, it's a nice drink in itself but it's that whole thing of oh, you're not drinking, here have an elderflower presse. It's the equivalent of a stuffed pepper to a vegetarian and elicits immediate eye-rolls from me. However, not to be defeatist, I have purchased a bottle of elderflower cordial and I know that mixed with tonic water, it will be perfectly okay.

CRANBERRY & TONIC WATER:
This is okay as it does have that slightly bitter edge that my palate prefers and the astringency of the cranberry balances well with red dishes  - although it is still sweet and fizzy, two elements that are not that ideal. I am looking forward to trying it with some Angostura Bitters, which has been recommended.

I would love it if you could drop any of your alternatives in the comments, and especially some great, not so sweet cocktails that we can try.

Courgette, Chili Penne Pasta with Spinach Balls.

LEVEL: Medium
TIME: approx 20-30 minutes
VEGETARIAN
COST: £

This was tonight's dinner.

Antonio Carluccio was a great food hero of mine. He elevated simplicity into something divine; his food based on principles of flavour, freshness and balance.

For years as a family we have loved going to Carluccio's and eating the courgette and spinach ball pasta dish; a firm favourite regardless of age.

Over the years, the dish has been assimilated into our own family recipe book. It's a dish that will force even the most dedicated carnivore to admit that there are really enjoyable vegetarian dishes.

In order to kick start our move towards more vegetarian dishes, this was put on the menu plan as a way of reassuring the family that it was all going to be alright LOL

INGREDIENTS: (For 4)

Good Quality dried pasta shells
1 large courgette
Half a red chilli
1 clove of garlic
olive oil

FOR THE SPINACH BALLS:

5-6 Frozen spinach balls
parmesan cheese
1 Egg
1 cup of white bread crumbs

This is my Tefl electric grater (several
different grating wheels for different jobs). It's
 fab
for making up 'posh' salads, and for jobs
like this. It's a really handy piece of
kitchen equipment. 

• Defrost the spinach balls by placing in a frying pan and stirring until all the moisture has gone and put aside.
• In a mixing bowl put a cup of breadcrumbs, a cup of grated parmesan, and one beaten egg. Add the spinach and mix well. 
• Place the pasta on to boil for about 10-13 minutes depending on preference. 
• Grate the courgette and fry in a pan with chilli and garlic and a generous slug of olive oil. 
• Form the spinach balls into balls about the size of a small ping-pong ball and shallow fry them in a frying pan, turning regularly until they turn a golden brown where the cheese and bread are. Place on baking tray and keep warm in the oven. 
• Drain the pasta, toss in the courgette mixture, plate up and place three spinach balls on top, sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. 

Pork Chop and Blue Cheese Tray Bake

LEVEL: EASY
COST: ££
MEAT DISH
APPROX TIME: 15 minutes + 30-35 for roasting

Pork is one of my favourite meats. It's so versatile and
appears to be light on the digestion as well as being
really well priced. It's one of the cheaper organic / free-
range meat options out there and makes a great base for
loads of different flavours. 

This is one of the most deceptive dishes that I've found. When presented at the table it looks like you've been slaving over a hot stove for hours, and the rich blend of flavours enhances that illusion. In truth, this is a really great midweek meal because you literally sling everything into one roasting pan, stick it in the oven and walk away from it for 35 minutes. This week I used that time to fold and put away the washing, ensuring that for one rare time in my life I actually felt like I was nailing adult life.

This recipe is neither particularly healthy (although it's  not unhealthy either) and it's clearly not vegetarian, but it is cheap - especially being as the pork chops were on half price offer from Waitress this week. Having mum over on a Monday for dinner and the eldest staying up, the cost of this dinner came in at £8 for the four of us, so at £2 a head, that's pretty good going.


INGREDIENTS (FOR 4)

4 Pork chops with the bone in
Two handfuls of new potatoes,
3 or 4 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves of garlic
1 apple
A palm size of blue cheese

Bag of green mixed salad or serve with broccoli.

METHOD:

• Slice the new potatoes into slices about 1.5 cm thick, spread out on the bottom of a roasting pan that has already been brushed with olive oil. 
• Cut the apple into slices, removing the core and spread out over the potatoes
• Season with salt and pepper and lay the thyme sprigs on top. 
• Lay the pork chops on top of the bed of veggies and place in a pre-heated oven at about 180 for approx 30 minutes or longer (until the pork chops have gone a nice golden brown colour and the potatoes look cooked.)
• Sprinkle the chops with blue cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the blue cheese has melted over the chop. 
• Serve on one big serving platter with a bowl of hot or cold green accompaniment and voila. Dinner is served.